Entries in Resources: Violence
(37)

Large numbers of men are subjected to Sexual and Domestic Violence (SDV). For example, official statistics from Australia estimate that 336,000 men (4 per cent of the male population) have been victims of sexual violence and 448,000 men (5.3 per cent) have been subjected to partner violence since they turned 15 years old. Male victims often share similar security needs with female victims. However, there are also gender-specific barriers to accessing security and justice, and the issue of SDV remains especially shrouded in silence and misconceptions when it comes to male victims. A literature review indicated that while academic research on these topics does exist and several NGOs have recorded relevant good practices, there is currently no single document where this information is synthesised in such a way that it can be readily used by the security sector. This guidance note is therefore designed to serve as a tool to enable security sector institutions to provide a more effective gender-sensitive approach to preventing and responding to SDV against men.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) or domestic violence (DV) is often framed as a “woman’s issue” or “violence against women” generating the perception of males involved in violent relationships as the aggressor and more capable of inflicting injury or causing harm to their partner. Due to this set of beliefs called the “gender paradigm”, male victims are often met with disbelief or suspicion when they attempt to gain protection from a female partner, or access services. Male victims may also report difficulty in locating services specific to their needs, as help lines or shelters are targeted exclusively towards female victims. These issues and the implications for male victims will be discussed.

Routledge has published a book-length collection of essays on gender and genocide by Gendercide Watch Executive Director and Canadian Political Science Professor Adam Jones. While these articles were all previously published, and some duplication and overlap is inevitable with collections of this nature, nevertheless many of them are as a practical matter impossible to track down today, and having them all together in one place in permanent, book form is in any case highly valuable. The author calls on the UN to establish a Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Men in parallel with the rapporteur that already exists to address violations against women, and Jones even outlines in detail several of the most important functions to be served by such a rapporteur. Jones also reminds us of the shocking fact that even today, Article 11 of the International Labor Organization’s Convention Concerning Forced or Compulsory Labor allows for adult men between the apparent ages of 19 and 45—and no one else—to be subjected to forced labor.

The results of a major piece of government research on partner abuse in Scotland slipped out relatively unreported before Christmas. The new Scottish findings mirror much Australian and international domestic violence research showing family violence against men is frequent and often goes unreported. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2008-09: Partner Abuse was published by Scotland's Chief Statistician on December 15th 2009. The research was conducted with 16,000 interviewees and represents the most comprehensive investigation to date into the extent of partner abuse in Scotland.